Facebook updates its Social Graph API with field expansion for faster data access

Facebook has just announced updates to its Graph API, which brings in a number of performance improvements thanks to field expansion, allowing for fewer API calls. Additionally, cursor-based offset paging has been introduced, which essentially saves developers from making extra requests by showing where a data set begins and ends.

In case you’re not familiar with this API, think of it as a one-way ticket to Facebook’s heart; it’s a simple, consistent view of the social graph that shows everything from people, photos, events and pages to the way all of these different pieces are connected.

These changes are slight, but improve the API’s overall developer experience. Little things like more efficient requests add up. As for the average user, updates like this aren’t noticeable, but a heathy developer community makes for better apps in the long-run.

If you’re a developer interesting in playing with the Graph API, you’re going to want to take a deeper look at the documentation for field expansion, the Graph API Explorer and pagination. For more design and dev tips and news, check out TNW’s dedicated channel here.